ACTS 4, ACTS 6, & EMMAUS ROAD

Elder Rennie Araucto delivered the following address when reading our Old Testament lection this past Sunday (4/15/12):

We are in that period between Easter and Pentecost; traditionally, the Lectionary gives the OT reading slot to a series of readings from the book of Acts. Today, we the lections is Acts 4:32-35; interestingly enough, our church also has reason to listen to Acts 6:1-6, a somewhat related narrative. Let’s listen to both texts this morning, and how they apply to our church today:

Acts 4:32-35
32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.

Beautiful picture of harmony and generosity, right? People are always looking back to the Jerusalem church of Acts 4. But then there’s Acts 6…

Acts 6:1-6
1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them…

And that’s what they did; they ordained seven men who happened to have Greek names. So what happened to the harmony and generosity of Acts 4? Why did they have to ordain deacons? Basically, Jewish widows were being cared for, while Greek convert widows were not. The Apostles needed to remain focused on the “ministry of the word”; the church responded, appointing a group of leaders to serve, overseeing and distributing food.
Today, we have some related circumstances. Like any church, Emmaus Road is a diverse group of believers; each of us has different gifts, different resources, and different needs. As a body, we use our gifts/strengths together; nobody can do ministry alone. But we also attend to individual needs as a group; to help this happen wisely, lovingly, and fairly, we have a Elders/Deacons, a Church Council, who oversee the distribution of resources from the church for various members’ needs from time to time. With church approval, we recently set aside an amount of Emmaus Road's budget for an “Acts 6 Fund,” naming it after the story we heard about, where people were appointed to distribute food to Greek widows. The timing was good; we have had several people with different needs who have asked for, or been offered, support. We are glad to be able to offer this.
Please know that you may give directly to this fund, which is used to help individuals of this church; also know that as you give tithes and offerings to support the general ministry of Emmaus Road, a certain percentage is set aside for the Acts 6 Fund. Thank God for blessing us with people, with spiritual and material blessings, and servant leaders willing to oversee and give.